LITURGY IN WORSHIP
Christian worship is the adoration of God through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is present when His people come together to as a community to worship. The form of service we use in Anglican worship is known as liturgy, and is common to most of Christendom. Liturgy is an ancient form of worship preserved for us in our Prayer Books. Liturgy consists of carefully composed prayers and responses within a set form, usually repeated service by service with little or no change, except for Collects, Psalms and readings which change each day.
Liturgical worship has a long tradition as a way of approaching God:
i] The psalter served as the "prayer book" for the people of Israel and covered the whole range of adoration: thanksgiving, praise, affirmation of faith and prayer
ii] Jesus set the pattern of liturgical worship in the Lord's Prayer, in which we have a series of short liturgical intercessions to be repeated by the disciples. Around the Lord's Prayer and the Psalms, the early church developed liturgical worship as we know it today.
iii] Luke tells us that the disciples gathered in their own homes to "break bread" (a form of communion service), while attending the daily services at the Temple, Acts 2:46. I suppose it is here that we have the origins of our services of the Eucharist and Morning and Evening prayer.
IV] The Didache (2nd Century) directed that the Lord's Prayer was to be said three times a day (the Jewish hours of prayer).
v] Justin Martyr (mid 2nd Century) describes a Communion service containing most of the elements we find in our own service: Bible readings, psalm, sermon, prayers, sharing of bread and wine...
vi] Within the Anglican tradition. At the beginning of the second millennium there were five complex liturgical service books containing:
a) Morning and Evening Prayer
b) Holy Communion, Collects, Epistles and Gospels
c) Occasional Services like Baptism
d) Confirmation and Ordinal
e) Calendar, Tables, instructions for the Priest.
ix] It was Archbishop Cranmer who was instrumental in reforming the church a producing a single prayer book. It was simple, uncomplicated, in the language of the people and had a unity to it. The Anglican Prayer Book went through numerous revisions, but with minimal changes and additions: 1559, 1604, 1662, and here in Southern Africa we now have An Anglican Prayer Book 1989.
While many churches have embraced a sort of “free-style” worship, Anglican churches still retain Prayer Book worship.
Liturgical worship provides a constantly high standard while helping us with an authentic context within which we can offer prayer, praise and also grow in our relationship with God. Yet for it to serve as a means of access to God, and worshippers must thoughtfully and prayerfully participate in liturgy.
Morning and Evening Prayer originated in the Worship of the Synagogue. The services were designed to help people grow in their knowledge of God". The structure of the service is confession, absolution, praise and prayer and the study of God's word.
The Eucharist is the fellowship meal of Christ's new community of believers. Its origins go back to the Passover meal celebrated by the people of Israel. Jesus commanded His Church to celebrate communion in memory of Him and to proclaim His death until he comes again. On the night before his crucifixion, he took bread and wine and gave them new significance. The service is in many ways like a dramatic celebration.
Offering praise to God we find that really we are not worthy to be in His presence and we need to be cleansed and renewed through confession and absolution.
The next part helps us to grow through the guidance in the lessons, psalm and Sermon.
We are unable to follow God without help and so we turn to prayer for help as individuals, the Church and the world.
Then comes the Great Thanksgiving which affirms our salvation by grace through faith. As we eat and drink so we remember (believe) Christ's sacrifice and affirmed of our standing in the sight of God. The drama continues as we go in peace into the world to love and serve the Lord until we meet again.
For a meaningful involvement in a liturgical service we need to understand each of the elements of the service, and of their place within the whole.
It is often argued that liturgy is "vain repetition". Good liturgy is indeed repetitive, just as the Lord's Prayer is repetitive. I am convinced that constant change and innovation actually hinders our drawing closer to God. Constantly doing new things often forces us to focus on the words rather on God. Liturgy that is familiar also frees us to focus on the meaning of the words. Someone described it thus, "They are released from the book". Many of the so-called “free-style” worship forms mean that, except for singing one song after another and listening to the preacher, people do not participate as fully as those who attend liturgical services.
I find that my worship becomes authentic when the set prayers become my own. The Lord's Prayer is a good liturgical model which we can see reflected in the order of the services of the Church. Once the Lord’s prayer is known off by heart and its meaning is understood, we are able to use each phrase creatively as we pray for ourselves and others. The same is true for each element of a liturgical service. When we know and understand what we are doing it is easier for us focus on God.
The weekly or even daily repetition of each element of a liturgical service enables all worshippers to participate in the services and to grow in knowledge, faith and their relationship with God. Regardless of our gender, education, background, culture or anything else that might divide us the liturgy helps to unite us in Christ
If the liturgical committee can help God’s people to grow in their knowledge of God and bring unity in our faith then I believe it will have done its work. The essential elements are there and we need to use them creatively to help us worship God...
As we worship we adore God and there is no better way for a community of believers to do so than in well-known, carefully-crafted, liturgical services.
